Beuben ramsdell



@inittab tateel atnt I Hirn.

REUBEN RAMSDELL, OF RINDGE, -NEW HAll'IPSHIRE- Letters .Patent No.79,858, dated July 14, 1859 IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES POR MAKING WOODENBOXES.

dln Sdgtmlt referat tu in time @stints glrttntt mit making part ai tigesans.

TO ALL WHOM IT'MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, REUBEN RAMSDELL, of Rindge, in the county ofCheshire, and Sta-tc of -New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement inthe Manufacture of Round and Oval Wooden Boxes; and I do hereby declarethat the following, taken in connection with the drawings whichaccompany and form part of this spccification, is a description of myinvention suiiicient to enable those skilled in the nrt to practise it.

In the manufacture of fig and other similar Wooden boxes, using ablockor former to determine the size of each box, and to facilitate thebending and nailing, it is customary to employ 'an viron ormetal-surfaced elliptical block, having extending from its ,outer andupper surface a series of metal pins or other projections, which holdthe wood above the surface of the block, so that, -in driving the nails,to make the body or cylindrical part of the box, the points of the nailspass freely through the'wood, and then, striking the surface of theblock, are deilected'or turned over, so that they can readily beclinched.

This method is defective, in that the points of the nails deilect in anydirection, whereas it is necessary, in order to make the box tight andits interior smooth, that they should turn and be clinched crosswse ofthc grain of the wood, instead of following the curved surface thereof.

The-primary object of my invention vis te so construct the former-blockthat the nails shall all deileet in a direction across the grain, ortowards either end of the box; and for this purpose I make the metal ormetalsurfaced former-block with a series ofparallel grooves in its uppersurface, and running from head to head of the block, the wood beingwound around and directly against the block, and the point of each nailentering one I of the-grooves, and being deected by the sides thereof,so that it-turns towards one or the opposite end of the block.

It is this construction which mainly constitutes my invention, and thedrawings represent a machine embodying the same. i i

A shows'a side elevation,

B a front elevation, and

C a plan thereof.

a denotes a bed, upon which isi-erected an upright or standard, b, atthe upper end of which is the former or anvil-block c, made stationarywith respect to the standard. Y Y

This anvil-block is made of metal, or covered with metal,'and across itsupper surface are the parallel scores or grooves d, each made deepenough to allow the point of the nail to turn and bend over within it,thc particular groove met by the nail-point giving the direction to thenail, or causing it to bend over and clinch against the wood in adirection towards one or the other of the heads of the bloeln Inconnection with this block, 1 use an adjustable-jaw block, e, forgriping the end ofthe piece from which the body or cylindrical partofthe box is made, and for determining the size of the box. This jaw ishung and turns on a pin,f, and opens from and closes against the blocka, on each side ofthe pinf, as will be seen at l5. The jaw-piace g isfor griping the end of the stock, and holding ithsccurely, (against aspring or yielding plate, In) while the band of wood is drawn tightlyaround both blocks, c and e, and lapped, as seen nt B, the nails beingthen driven through the lapped piece and the piece beneath, as will bereadily understood. The long jaw iis arrested in its downward movementby the head of an adjusting-screw, 1:,screwed into the block a, thepiece z' having a recess, l, through which the screw is entered, andinto which the head projects, and a seat, m, which brings up against thehead of the screw, the shank of the screw passing loosely through thepiece i', above this seat.

It will be obvious that,`by turning up the screw more or less, theextentcf downward mo'veuient of the jaw may be diminished or increased,and that the size given to the box will be thereby varied.

The movement of the jaws is'eii'ected by a treadlc, p, connected tothejawz' by connecting-reds g, and the box is released, and thejawsthrown back to their normal position, by a spring, 1'. When so released,the body is removed, and thc head driven into one of its open ends. 'Thecovcrof the box may be similarly made, as will be readily understood. i

By the mechanism so constructed and arranged, thc operation of makingcylindrical wooden boxes is simplified and expedited, sind a better boxcan be made than by following the old method.

I claim, in combination with the former-block or its equivalent, thegroove or grooves d, for turning the nail-points, substantially as setforth. Y

Also, in combination with the block c, the jaw-block c, with itsclamping or griping-jaw g and the spring /z, substantially as set forth.

Also, combining with the jaw a and the block c the adjusting-screw k,substantially as and for tho purpose set fort-b.

- RLEUBEN RAMSDELL. Witnesses:

FRANCIS GoULn, J. B. CROSBY.

